 |
| Online Shop | Fashion | Hair and Beauty | Health and Fitness | Love and Marriage | Recipes | Careers and Business | Parenting | Money | House and Home | Travel | Motoring | WE Top Websites | News and Entertainment | Regulars | Contact Us |
|
How to Spot Rogue Builders By Martin Roberts- TV Property Expert, Author and presenter of ‘Homes under the Hammer’ offers advice and guidance on all things property related It’s every property owner’s nightmare – having cowboys undertake work who deliver over-priced, shoddy work that looks poor and worse still, could be dangerous. When employing contactors, don’t be shy - quiz them about other work they’ve done and definitely take up references. 10 things that should make the alarm bells ring: 1. The contractor has knocked on your door looking for work just because they happen to be ‘in the area’. 2. They want payment in cash or offer a heavy discount for cash. It’s much harder to seek legal redress from the contractor if you’ve paid cash. 3. They’re reluctant to provide you with references of other satisfied customers – perhaps there aren’t any! 4. They come up with excuses as to why they can’t provide a written quotation. 5. They can’t commit to a timescale of when they will finish the work. Cowboys will very often drag out the work unnecessarily so that they can charge you more. 6. They want to start the work immediately. If so, question them to find out why - most reputable trades people and contractor are booked up weeks in advance. 7. They want a large deposit before they actually start the work. Professional, reputable builders will have the means to source materials themselves. 8. They seem to use unnecessary complicated jargon and technical phrases – probably intended to ‘blind you with science’. 9. They are quick to criticise other builders work or ‘knock’ the competition. 10.They are difficult to contact and perhaps only have a mobile phone as means of reaching them. Top tricks that dodgy trades people might use to scam you: Charges for Items Not Used – Dishonest tradesmen will add on a few extra items to their bill which haven’t been used on your job. It might only be a relatively small percentage of the total bill – but it all adds up! Always check you know what each item is that you’re invoiced for. Contract Small Print – Most people don’t read the small print on contracts. Dodgy trades people will know this and use it against you. Delays and Changes to Original Quotes – Many contracts will contain exclusions to cover weather delays and unforeseen costs etc. You can be held responsible for these. Always ensure that you know what contingency there is, what extra costs you could be charged for and whether you’ll get compensation if the work over runs. Labour Costs – One of the most common ways to make extra money is to increase labour costs or extend the work time for your project. Good tradesmen will sign in and out whereas cowboys will waste time on site and dilly dally around. If you’re concerned at their time-keeping, keep your own diary of hours. Finding a Builder If you are looking for a professional builder, the Federation of Master Builders is a good place to start. As the building industry's largest trade organisation, representing over 13,000 small and medium-sized companies throughout the UK, the FMB vetts all members before join, and once in, members must adhere to a strict Code of Practice. Check out their website www.findabuilder.co.uk where you can search to find a builder in your area. Ask Martin- Your chance to put a question to our Property Guru Sally Taylor asks; “I’m interested in buying a property close to where I live but have discovered that there is a telegraph pole in the garden. What can I do about this?” BT Wayleave Agreements Whilst BT don’t have to seek your approval to erect a telegraph pole on your property, they do have to pay for the privilege. Anybody with a pole on their property should ensure that there is a Wayleave Agreement in place. This is a document signed by you as the land owner that grants permission for electrical apparatus to be present on your property. You can also apply for a Wayleave payment. This is a ‘ground rent’ that you are entitled to charge BT for having their equipment or apparatus on your land. It’s not a lot of money and in some cases you’ll find that a previous owner may have accepted a ‘one off payment’ which means that you can’t then charge annual rent. The current ground rent that BT pays for telegraph poles is £9.85 per annum or a one off payment of £145. What if You Object? BT don’t ask for permission to erect their telegraph poles – they just do it and ask for objections afterwards. I’ve heard of people coming home from work to find a new telegraph pole having appeared in their front garden and they seemed to have no idea about it. If this were to happen, then there should be a notice on the pole inviting objections to the pole being there (there should be a number on the pole identifying it). Be aware that there is a time limit to object. Usually BT will erect the pole but not install any wires on it until the time period has passed. If you insist that BT have to move the pole to another location, then be aware that in doing so they need to put it somewhere else – which could be next door’s garden - possibly not the best way to get on well with your neighbours! If you have a question for martin email him at askmartin@martinroberts.co.uk He cannot answer directly, but you may see your question answered here in the coming weeks. To find out more about Martin Roberts and for property advice visit www.martinroberts.co.uk |
|
 |
| Copyright © WOMENS EVERYTHING 2012 | Advertise | | Privacy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Directory Software by Global 7 |